Syria

Syria: 11 Alawite Civilians Killed in Homs

A monitor of Syria's conflict said Friday that 11 civilians from the Alawite minority had been killed in security raids in the center of the country over the past 24 hours. The killings follow a wave of sectarian bloodshed last month, the worst since Islamist-led forces overthrew longtime president Bashar al-Assad, with massacres taking place ...

Lebanon Resumes Repatriation of Syrian Refugees After Years-Long Pause

General Security (GS) has resumed the repatriation of Syrian refugees from Lebanon, marking a significant shift after years of suspension, Al-Jadeed TV reported on Friday. According to the report, the renewed efforts came after a prolonged halt in the implementation of the so-called “voluntary return” process, which was previously organized ...

Gunfire Exchange at Lebanese-Syrian Border Triggers Army Crackdown on Smuggling Network

Tensions flared along the Lebanese-Syrian border near Hermel on April 24 after gunfire erupted between armed individuals and Syrian forces, reportedly triggered by disputes over smuggling activities. According to a Lebanese Army post on its X account, shots were first fired from the Lebanese side toward Syrian territory, prompting a swift ...

Renewed Lebanese-Syrian Border Clashes

Tensions flared once again along the Syrian-Lebanese border Thursday night, as clashes reportedly resumed between unidentified fighters on both sides of the border, with Syrian officials accusing Hezbollah of initiating the escalation. A Syrian Ministry of Defense source told SANA that Hezbollah “fired five artillery shells from Lebanese ...

Support for Syrian Refugees: Lebanon Says Stop

Lebanon, which is facing a prolonged crisis, is raising its voice once again. For more than 15 years, the Land of the Cedars has borne the direct consequences of the war in Syria, hosting more than two million Syrian refugees—nearly 40% of its population. According to the World Bank, the annual cost of this presence exceeds two billion ...

Lebanese Army Arrests 16 Individuals for Various Crimes

The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) issued a statement on Monday detailing a series of arrests and security measures conducted by its Intelligence Directorate in different regions of Lebanon. In the Lailaki area, the LAF arrested a citizen (H.H.) implicated in numerous offenses, including kidnapping, theft, drug abuse, causing disturbances, shooting, ...

Baghdad Divided Over Invitation of Syria's Interim President to Arab Summit

Several powerful pro-Iran Iraqi politicians have in recent days voiced opposition to a potential visit by Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa to Iraq for the upcoming Arab League summit. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said earlier this week that Baghdad has invited al-Sharaa to attend the summit, scheduled to take place in the ...

Syria Leader Hosts Republican US Congressman in Damascus

Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has met with a US congressman, the Syrian presidency said on Saturday, the first such visit by an American lawmaker since the overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad. Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani was also present at the meeting with Republican Cory Mills at the presidential palace in Damascus, a presidency ...

US To Withdraw Some 1,000 Troops From Syria

The United States will roughly halve the number of troops it has deployed in Syria to less than 1,000 in the coming months, the Pentagon said Friday. Washington has had troops in Syria for years as part of international efforts against the Islamic State (IS) group, which rose out of the chaos of the country's civil war to seize swaths of ...

Palestinian President in Damascus for the First Time in 16 Years

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas met Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus on Friday, on his first visit to Syria in 16 years. According to a Syrian government source, the pair were expected to discuss reinforcing ties between Syria and the Palestinians, as well as the "threats" faced by both parties. According to the UN agency for ...

Syrian Interim President Meets With Iraqi PM for the First Time

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani met with Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Doha, Iraqi state media reported Thursday, in their first meeting since Bashar al-Assad was toppled. Sudani made "a quick visit to Qatar, where he met with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani" and Sharaa, the official INA news agency ...